day. i think what we re looking for in this press conference is some kind of guidance about how many hospitalisations there will be because we know the modelling has been done, it ll be interesting to see how many cases are expected per day going into next month or two. because they are opening up because they don t think there will be an unsustainable amount of pressure on the nhs. i think some of those working in hospitals and doctors surgeries might be very concerned about that and on that point as well, the prime minister i think at one stage. he well, the prime minister i think at one state. . , well, the prime minister i think at one state. .,, ., ~ well, the prime minister i think at one state. ., ,, ., one stage. he was talking about the link, the vaccine one stage. he was talking about the link, the vaccine had one stage. he was talking about the link, the vaccine had severed - one stage. he was talking about the link, the vaccine had severed the i link, the vaccine had se
69-88% symptomatic disease. one dose, a 69 88% production and with two doses, over 91% reduction in the chance of hospitalisation. it s not 100% but these are highly effective vaccines. when it comes to the third test, infection rates do not risk a surge in hospitalisations which will put unsustainable pressure on the nhs, inevitably we have to be more cautious in our interpretation of the data. at this point in time, as you can see from this slide, the rates of hospitalisations, whilst not trivial and rising, over 2700 people are in hospital with covid at the moment, is way below both the first and second bits of the peaks in autumn last year and spring of last year. on the next slide, if we
case numbers to go up and the number of people in hospital to continue to rise, but their point through all of this is if you don t open up now, when do you do it? do you stick with lockdown restrictions for months on end? they feel you will always have a wave of new cases once you start to relax restrictions, so is it better to have it now in the summer, coming to the end of the school term and all the disruption we have seen there, and i hope transmission will not be as high in the summer, people meeting outdoors, and there could well be guidance that if you are meeting up it s better to do it outside because transmission doesn t happen as easily. all of those things are guiding them towards doing it now. we had from chris whitty this time last week saying that the problem is if you were doing this in the autumn and winter could be a lot worse, but i think it ll be interesting to see the tone and there is obviously concern about the risks. we can listen to what they have to say.
cautious but irreversible but is that still the message? it s not a word ou that still the message? it s not a word you hear that still the message? it s not a word you hear very that still the message? it s not a word you hear very often - that still the message? it s not a word you hear very often now i that still the message? it s not a l word you hear very often now from ministers because i think they realise that there is some uncertainty here. i think that uncertainty here. i think that uncertainty is what we re talking about going into autumn and winter. we have had warnings from chris whitty and others about how difficult that is going to be but there is the more immediate short term issues, and really ministers are trying to explain why they are doing it now at a time when there are a rising case numbers. it s of course because of the vaccination programme which they think is very much weakening the link between getting infected and ending up in hospital and of course thos
that s potentially a danger also to patients that or in a ward pud you re trying to balance risks against one another and achieve that in the best way possible and that is very much something that as you know is a key part of medicine, a matter of balancing risks. isz is a key part of medicine, a matter of balancing risks. is a key part of medicine, a matter. of balancing risks. thank of balancing risks. itv news? thank ou, of balancing risks. itv news? thank you. prime of balancing risks. itv news? thank you, prime minister, of balancing risks. itv news? thank you, prime minister, and of balancing risks. itv news? thank you, prime minister, and used i of balancing risks. itv news? thank you, prime minister, and used to i of balancing risks. itv news? thank| you, prime minister, and used to say that these you, prime minister, and used to say that these steps you, prime minister, and used to say that these steps on you, prime minister, and used to say that these steps on t